The pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis (CP) is complex and involves interactions among different cell types, including pancreatic acinar, ductal and stellate cells (PSC). Researchers from Calcimedica Inc. and the University of Szeged set out to assess the pathogenic pathways in these cells as well as evaluate the potential of the novel calcium release-activated calcium channel protein 1 (Orai1) inhibitor CM-5480 as a potential treatment for CP.

Bivictrix Therapeutics plc has nominated a clinical candidate for its lead BVX-001 program, following promising in vivo efficacy data.

CD38 is an enzyme with NAD-depleting and intracellular signaling activity expressed on the cell surface, in intracellular compartments and in mitochondria, and is linked to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Studies in CD38-deficient mice have revealed that these animals develop a type of collagen-induce arthritis (CIA) which suggests a link between CD38 and CIA pathogenesis.

Thryv Therapeutics Inc. has announced the closing of a $5 million convertible note investment, the proceeds of which will be used to accelerate development of its pipeline, including preclinical programs in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma and atrial fibrillation.

“One of the many reasons we don’t have effective therapies for AD at the moment ... is that we don’t understand the beginnings of the disease,” Constanze Depp told BioWorld. Understanding those beginnings is likely to be a necessary prerequisite for truly turning the tide on Alzheimer’s disease (AD). “The brain is so bad at repairing itself, and once a neuron is lost, it will most likely not regenerate,” she elaborated. Now, Depp and her colleagues have reported on a contributor to those beginnings.

Researchers from Seelos Therapeutics Inc. presented the discovery and preclinical evaluation of a gene therapy candidate, SLS-009, for the treatment of Huntington’s disease (HD).